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Partisan versus non-partisan

JOAN HELLER

Beech Creek

Politicians drawing the maps of constituents are bound to be partisan. The resulting maps are gerrymandered, overly favoring the political party in power at the time of the map drawing.

Senate Bill 22 and House Bill 722 would require an “independent citizens’ commission” to redraw maps without access to data mining that has enabled politicians to draw maps that overly favor one party.

How many maps need to be redrawn after each census? I am aware of three:

r The Pennsylvania Congressional Districts for the U.S. Congress.

r The Pennsylvania Senate Districts for the Pennsylvania senators.

r The Pennsylvania House Districts for the Pennsylvania House members.

See the website at www.fairdistrictspa.com.

Recently, the state Supreme Court ruled the Pennsylvania Congressional Map from 2011 was unconstitutional. After ruling against a new GOP map and a new map offered by Gov. Tom Wolf, the state Supreme Court drew the current map.

However, was this really a non-partisan venture?

And what about the other two maps that weren’t under consideration?

People from all parties – Republicans, Democrats, Green, Liberterian, and any other independent party – are represented in the “Independent Citizens’ Commission,” without a majority of any one party and no politicians!

Please encourage your Pennsylvania senator and Pennsylvania Congressman to support the current bills: SB22 and HB722. These are non-partisan bills, which would make elections in PA much more fair. Make “One person, one vote” a meaningful reality!

Pennsylvania needs “An Independent Citizens’ Commission” to redraw the Congressional, Pennsylvania Senate and Pennsylvania House maps after the next census in 2020 and onward.

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